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1 1 (July 27, 2015)

handle is hein.crs/govcbzy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FF. ' -iE S .,. & , p\w -- , gnom go mppm qq\ , q I aS 11LULANJILiN, Updated July 27, 2015 Rwanda: Current Issues Under the leadership of President Paul Kagame, Rwanda has become known for its rapid development and security gains since the devastating 1994 genocide, in which over 800,000 people were killed. The minority ethnic Tutsi community was targeted in the genocide, along with politically moderate members of the Hutu majority, in a state-backed extermination campaign. (Hums reportedly make up some 84% of the population and Tutsis 15%.) The Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), an insurgent group at the time, ended the genocide and took power in mid-1994. RPF efforts to improve health systems, the economy, and gender equality have received substantial support from foreign donors, including the United States. Development indicators have improved markedly in the past two decades, but poverty remains widespread. While praising Rwanda's progress, U.S. officials have criticized its domestic constraints on political and civil freedoms, as well as the government's recent history of backing rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). President Kagame has been in office since 2000 and previously served as Vice President and Defense Minister in post-genocide transitional regimes. He last won reelection in 2010 with 93% of votes. The election was peaceful and well organized, but observers-including U.S. officials-expressed concerns about media restrictions, the expulsion of an international human rights researcher, and prohibitions on most opposition party participation. Currently, Kagame appears likely to seek to remain in office past 2017, when his current term ends and he faces constitutional term limits. In July 2015, parliamentarians voted overwhelmingly in favor of changing the term limit, initiating plans for a constitutional referendum. The vote in parliament took place after a petition backing the removal of the term limit garnered some 3.7 million signatures- well over half the electorate. News reports indicated that some Rwandans may have been intimidated into signing. The RPF dominates state institutions, and Kagame appears to face no serious internal challenger. Independent opposition parties, media outlets, and civil society groups are few in number and reportedly operate with difficulty. Public criticism of the RPF's overarching policies or legitimacy is not tolerated; nor is public discussion of ethnic identity. Critics assert that the government has used laws criminalizing genocide ideology and divisionism, along with national security provisions, to suppress dissent, to justify prosecutions of journalists and opposition figures, and to limit reporting by human rights groups. Figure I. Rwanda at a Glance )L PoI apition : ............ ........o. GDP Growthi i i i i i ii.: ...... ..... ~ l l :A l :.c : : .. .........., .................................................................. ... .. a 1 0 - o n .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . .. .. . . . . .. . . (3DP Ii Per Cap: $7t 4 e T-di1 -Ie 1 (I7 u:T- y enen4tS Source: CRS graphic. Basemap b Hannah Fischer, data from Esri (2013). Fact information from CIA World Factbook, IMF. The State Department's 2014 human rights report cites disappearances, government harassment and abuse of political opponents and human rights advocates, disregard for the rule of law among security forces and the judiciary, and restrictions on civil liberties, among other concerns. Rwandan officials reject allegations of abusing human rights, while often arguing that some restrictions are needed to prevent the return of ethnic violence and asserting that the country is gradually liberalizing. Some observers question whether limits on political and civil rights may threaten stability by depriving opponents of peaceful avenues for activism. Human rights groups accuse the government of targeting exiled dissidents for assassination, which the government denies. In early 2014, a top RPF defector-a former head of external intelligence who had become active in a diaspora opposition movement known as the Rwanda National Congress (RNC)-was murdered in South Africa. President Kagame said in a press interview that Rwanda did not kill this person... but I add that, I actually wish Rwanda did it. He also reportedly stated in public remarks that whoever betrays the country will pay the price. Another leading RNC figure, former army chief of staff General Kayumba Nyamwasa, was the victim of an armed attack in 2010 while living in South Africa. In 2014, a South African court convicted two Rwandans and two Tanzanians in the attack, and the judge stated that he believed the incident was politically motivated. Rwanda's military is among Africa's most effective. Rwandan troops have participated in multiple U.N. and African-led peacekeeping operations, and are generally .O 'T

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